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The

Deputy Mayor's

Exchange

Don Hamilton - official city picture - web resized.jpg

April 10 2022

Edition 150

Happy 150th! 🎉

Welcome to the 150th edition of the Deputy Mayor's Exchange.🎉 It's been my attempt to keep Markham residents up to date on happenings around the City. I hope you continue to enjoy reading it and as always should you have something to share or want something highlighted in a future edition, please send it along.

I invite you to view the following video clip of our Development Services meeting from last week and invite you to draw your own conclusions.

Clip of Special DSC Meeting held on April 5

You can watch the entire meeting here with the above clip starting at 2:02:40.

Happy Easter and Happy Passover to those celebrating in the Christian and Jewish communities. My very best wishes for good health and happiness at this time and always.

Recently I was sent a copy of Toronto Ward 18 Councillor, John Filion's, eNewsletter. His commentary Money for Nothing provides a great discussion of the current disarray that municipal councils face with the Ontario Land Tribunal. You can read it here.

Have a safe and enjoyable week.

Email - dhamilton@markham.ca

In This Issue

Fourth Boosters are Now Available
New Name, Same Pain
The Sunflower Project🌻
The Reopening Continues
Road Speed Management
City Reminders
Exciting News from MPL
Other Items
Upcoming Meetings
York Region Update
Community Meetings and Events

Please forward this update to anyone

that may find it of interest.

Looking for more information?

Any of the blue text, blue buttons

and most of the graphics have links to further detail.

Find Your Ward Councillor

Click here to read the previous edition of The Deputy Mayor's Exchange

Have an Egg-cellent Easter 🐰

Happy Passover

Fourth Boosters Are Now Available

On Thursday April 7 fourth dose vaccinations (second booster doses) became available to individuals aged 60 and over as well as First Nation, Inuit and Métis individuals and their non-Indigenous household members aged 18+. The Province has recommended an interval of at least five months (140 days) for those under 60 and a minimum interval of at least three months (84 days) after receipt of a third dose for individuals 60 years of age or older.

Expanding booster eligibility will provide an extra layer of protection against the Omicron and BA2 variants and in addition to antivirals, is another tool the Province is using to live with and manage COVID-19. Vaccination is still our best, and currently one of our last defenses against COVID-19. Third doses, and now fourth doses for those that are eligible, are important for everyone over 12 years of age.

Eligible individuals will be able to book their fourth dose appointment through the Ontario COVID-19 vaccination portal, participating pharmacies, participating primary care settings and through York Region clinics at york.ca/covid19vaccine or 1.877.464.9675. The large scale vaccination clinics have transitioned to smaller, community-based clinics with new clinic hours and locations to match our current demand for COVID-19 vaccines. The York Region local clinics include:

9275 Markham Road, Markham
50 High Tech Road, Richmond Hill.

As always, york.ca/covid19 remains the trusted source of information for COVID-19 and vaccinations in York Region. We can all continue to do our part to reduce the impact of COVID-19

get fully vaccinated when eligible
wear a mask in confined, crowded and close contact situations
stay home when sick

New Name, Same Pain

Formerly known as the Lymantria dispar dispar, the LDD Moth, and even prior to that the Gypsy Moth, the invasive species responsible for eating vulnerable foliage in our communities has undergone a name change. It is now known as the Spongy Moth because of the spongy egg masses they produce.

Do you remember last summer when many of the trees in Markham were eaten bare by the caterpillar stage of these moths?

While surveys indicate this year may be the start of a declining moth population, they're still expected to reach high numbers in some areas causing heavy to sever defoliation.

Now is the time to check local trees for their spongy egg masses that are a part of the moth's lifecycle. Protect your trees from the caterpillars before they hatch by scraping egg masses into a bucket of soapy water, stirring and then disposing of them after a day or two - learn more.

Residents can pick up a free burlap trap kit for these caterpillars at the Markham Civic Centre parking lot starting at 8am on April 12, 14, 19 and 21, while supplies last with 1 kit per household. More information at markham.ca/lddmoth.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday April 20 at 6:30pm about the LDD Moth and its impact on the health of local trees. Participants will learn how to identify and manage the LDD moth and what the infestation forecasts are for 2022 - register here.

The Sunflower Project 🌻

The Markham Group of Artists is holding a fundraiser in response to the situation in Ukraine. With funds raised through a virtual art show, they will be making donations to help Ukrainian refugees.

All artists are invited to participate in the Sunflower Project Art Show and MGA's call for artwork is open until April 15. The Markham Group of Artists will donate all show entry fees to a registered charity aiding Ukrainian refugees and artists can donate all or a portion of the sale of their work. This virtual show will be featured on the MGA website gallery from April 20 to June 30. You can submit artwork and find more information here.

The Reopening Continues

While the majority of Markham's libraries and recreation facilities are welcoming residents, we are still waiting for several locations to reopen. Here is the expected timeline for the facilities that are still closed:

Aaniin Community Centre
Gymnasium and multi-purposed room - April 11 - programs only / no permits
Fitness Centre - April 29
Pool - June 1 - pending staffing
Cornell Community Centre
Library - April 29
Gymnasium and rehearsal hall - April 29 - pending floor repair schedule
Fitness Centre - TBD - will open as soon as staffing is in place - currently hiring
Multi-purpose rooms - June 27 - programs only / no permits
Pool - June 27
Milliken Mills Community Centre - expected date June 27 - date is dependent on the completion of construction currently taking place
Pan Am Centre
Fitness Centre - June 1 - dependent on staffing
Thornhill Therapy Pool - June 27
Thornlea Pool and Gymnasium - expected October - date is dependent on the completion of construction currently taking place
Morgan Outdoor Pool and Rouge River Outdoor Pool will be open for the summer season

Registration has started for summer programs and there is a good demand especially for summer camps. More information about City of Markham recreation and summer camps can be found at markham.ca/recreation.

Road Speed Management

You'll see these speed display boards all over Markham. The City has 24 of these boards and they put them on at various local streets throughout Markham. You can see the current locations here. These devices use radar technology to detect vehicle speeds and display it back to the driver. They let drivers know if they are driving too quickly and need to slow down. Studies show that vehicle speeds are reduced by up to 20 percent when these signs are placed.

If you would like your street evaluated, please reach out to the Contact Centre at 905.477.5530 or send and email to customerservice@markham.ca.

York Regional Police enforce the speed limit across the City. They also look for people who break other traffic rules. If you think that a street needs more police enforcement, please contact York Regional Police at www.yrp.ca.

You can report aggressive drivers and other drivers you believe are an immediate danger to the public to YRP through their Road Watch program. This is a community driven program was created to allow citizens to inform YRP about concerns you have witnessed. More information about Road Watch can be found here.

Exciting News from MPL

Today, April 10, was the first day that Markham Public Libraries was open on Sundays from 1pm to 5pm. Please check the MPL website for open locations and information you need to know before visiting - details here.

Looking for something fun to do with kids during April? Spring brings virtual storytime, origami tulips, French readying and more. Sign up and see more programs here.

Other Items

The Markham Small Business Centre offers a number of resources for local businesses including various webinars. Whether you're planning on starting a new small business or thinking about how to get new customers, equip yourself with the key skills you need as an entrepreneur to transfer leads into sales join the MSBC event on April 13 at 10am - register here. Learn more about the MSBC here.

York Region and the City of Markham work together to deliver clean, safe drinking water to residents. Find out how it's done.

Learn more here

Ward 8 Councillor, Isa Lee, has recently published her latest eNewsletter. It includes updates for residents in her area from the City and several community organizations. You can read it here.

Interested in planting a tree on your property this year?

The City of Markham has partnered with York Region to offer discounted trees through the LEAF Backyard Tree Planting Program. Find out more at yourleaf.org.

Did you know that Markham has planted more than half an acre of pollinator friendly plants in parks across the City. These plantings will help create more pollinator habitats and enhance the aesthetic beauty of natural areas in our parks.

The City is developing new age friendly design guidelines and they want to hear from you about how you live, work and play in Markham. Join the upcoming Open House on Wednesday April 13 at 6pm - learn more here.

Did you miss the Unionville Community Centre for Seniors (UCCS) Active Living Fair on April 23?

post event package can be found here which includes details from the presentation and other details from the participating organizations
video recordings of the event can be found here

You can learn more about UCCS and the programs and services that they offer to seniors in our community can be found here.

Did you know that Markham was the first municipality to connect and use a solar feed-in tariff program in 2010.

Today the City has the largest solar photovoltaic networks hosted by a municipality in Ontario.

Learn more at markham.ca/EarthMonth.

Since 2007, Markham has planted more than 460K trees with assistance from the Trees for Tomorrow program which is the equivalent of 1.12 trees per resident.

The City’s goal is to have 30% of our community covered in trees.

markham.ca/trees

Sign up for a free virtual Home Efficiency Retrofit Orientation workshop on April 21 in partnership with Humber College and Enbridge.

Learn how to improve energy efficiency and save money! register here

Applications for the Wallace Joyce Scholarship have been EXTENDED until Friday April 29.

All York Region high school students who will be pursuing studies in art or a design related field at the post secondary level are eligible to apply. There will be one student recipient of this $1,000 bursary.

More information about the scholarship including application details can be found here.

Parking on Markham streets between the hours of 2:30am and 6am is not permitted within the City of Markham.

Exemptions can be made however for driveway repairs and out of town overnight guests. Learn how to apply for an overnight exemption - details here.

In case you missed these articles in the Markham Economist and Sun, here are some items you might want to read:

Markham-Unionville Rotary Club holds Easter drive for the MarkhamFood Bank - read more
Unionville GO Station upgrades slated for late spring completion - read more